China wins Olympiad for 1st time!
Congrats to the entire team from China for winning the Tromso Olympiad, making history at the same time! A rather late comer to the world of chess, China first participated in the Olympiads in 1978 at Buenos Aires. Progress was quick, especially since the chinese federation took things to an entirely new level: its top players at the age of 30 had to retire from competitive chess to become trainers of the younger generation! As a result, today China has the greatest number of players likely to become world champion! MORE LATER
I recognize (first row, l to r) Yu, Wang, Ni Hua, Ding Liren and Wei Yu. Back row must be trainers, federation delegate(s) and –who knows–cook! Apparently, this is NOT China’s strongest team (!), several of the top rated are absent. In anycase, it is clear from the size of this delegation that China’s objective was to WIN.
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